7 Days, Zero Nights, Take My Hand, We Die Tonite
by SilverSilencer15
Summary: Ch. 4 repost HarryPotter TheRing CrossOver The summer after Harrys 5th year, the trio, and a new friend, decide to stay in a cabin overnight. A strange discovery may change their plans, and their lives forever. Can they solve the mystery of the tape befor
1. The Tape

**Seven Days, Zero Nights, Take My Hand, We Die Tonite**

Harry's summer so far had been absolutely horrible with Dudley's new interest in American rap music, and Petunia's new hobby, giving piano lessons to children with rich families. Harry lay in his room, reading mail from his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and surprisingly a new friend to the gang. After the incident in the Ministry of Magic just a few months earlier, Draco had switched sides, joining forces with the Order and being shockingly nice to the trio. Harry's mind pondered on how they could all get together somewhere and have a little mid-summer party. He had no idea how he would get past Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia but . . . they would be glad to have him gone.

Harry took out some muggle magizines on travel destinations in London and found a small article about some cabins out in the woods just outside of London. He read on and decided that he should run his idea across his friends and see what they think. He sat down at his desk, pulled out parchement, quill, and ink and began his letters. He tied the letters around Hedwigs ankle and wiped his sweaty locks out of his eyes. "Take these to Hermione, Ron, and Draco . . . they're all the same so it doesn't matter who gets what, okay girl?" Harry said slowly. Hedwig nibbled at his hand in realization and took flight out of the window.

Harry layed down on his bed and thought of how fun it would be to spend a week or two in a cabin. He closed his eyes in exhaustion and let his body fall captive to sleep.

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Harry woke with a start a few hours later to find Hedwig sitting on his chest, his view obstructed by a small pile of letters. "They must've replied right away!" Harry thought. He sat bolt upright and began tearing at the letters:

Dear Harry,

That sounds like a marvelous idea! When can we go? I'm sure

my parents will give me permission! Write me back with a date and

time to meet, oh, and where to meet! HaHa!

Much Love,

Hermione G.

All of the others were the same . . . just asking for date, place, and time. Harry remembered that the Dursleys' were out to dinner so he walked out into the hall and down the stairs to the telephone. He looked in the magazine to confirm the telephone number and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I would like to make a reservation for four people for a one night stay in one of your cabins?" Harry said nervousley.

"When would you like to stay?"

"Anytime is fine." Harry said plainly.

"Okay . . . you'll be staying on the 30th of August . . . and whats your last name?

"Potter." Harry said confidently.

"Okay, your total comes to £1,350.87. Would that be cash or credit?"

"Cash, please." Harry stated.

"Pay at the front desk and we will give you your key."

"Thank you!" Harry hung up the phone and proceeded to his room to write to the others and pack his stuff up . . . it was already the fourth! He grabbed a quill and wrote on the bottom of everyone's letter to meet at Diagon Alley tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. He would have to get money from Gringotts and exchange it to muggle money. Harry sent Hedwing off to deliver everyones letters and began throwing stuff into his trunk. He filled it with the essentials like clothes and shoes, of course. He then grabbed his wand from his bedside table and shoved it into his pocket. He locked his trunk and made his way down the stairs and out into the murky dusk. He trudged down to the curb and shoved his wand out over the pavement. Lights appeared out of the humidity and a large purple, triple-decker bus came to a stop in front of Harry.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus-" Stan Shunpike said before Harry interjected.

"Hi, Stan . . . The Leaky Cauldron." He said thrusting a few coins into Stan's hand. Harry took a seat at the back of the bus and waited for the bus to start moving. The bolted forward with a jolt as the many beds in the bus slide back and forth with the movement of the tripl-decker. Before long, they had arrived and Harry was lugging his trunk in through the door of the Leaky Cauldron. He walked up to the counter where Tom, the owner, was drying glasses with a dingy rag. "Hey, Tom . . . one night, please." Harry said in a rush.

"Hey there, Harry" Tom said gleefully. "That will be 9 galleons." Harry poured a handful of galleons into Tom's hand as he handed Harry a key. Harry jostled up the stairs to his room, 219, and threw himself on the rickety bed. He was exhausted! Harry was soon consumed by the black velvet of sleep and cast into horrible dreams. He awoke at around 4:30 a.m., his scar searing with pain He closed his eyes with hopes of drifting to sleep. Slowly, ever so slowly, he finally returned to sleep, without disturbances, peace . . . at last!

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Harry awoke at 12:30, and he still felt exhausted. He had tossed and turned all night, totured by the unmeaningful dreams. He pulled on his robes and set course for Diagon Alley. As he set foot in the morning sunshine, he felt a warmth, not, of course, from the sun, but on the inside. He walked to Gringotts Wizarding Bank and entered the cool interior. He stepped up to the goblin at the front desk and cleared his throat. "Yesss?" the goblin hissed.

I need to make a withdrawl and exchange it to muggle money." Harry said firmly.

"Do you have your key?" the goblin asked.

"Yea." Harry said shortly, placing the golden key into the goblins grimy hand. The goblin handed the key to another goblin and instructed Harry to follow him. They boarded the train that would transport them to Harry's vault.

"Vault 787." the goblin said loudly. They climbed off the cart and the goblin proceeded to opening Harry's vault. Th egoblin inserted the key into the small hole of the large door. The hall was filled with the sound of clanking locks then, it opened. Harry stepped forward and filled his satchel with galleons, knuts and sickels. Harry stepped back from the vault and the goblin waved his hand over the bag and turned to close Harry's vault. Harry peeked inside the bag and almost yelped in surprise. It was no longer filled with Galleons, Knuts and Sickles, but with thousands of pounds! They climbed back onto the cart and returned to the surface. Harry walked out of the building, once again filling with warmth. He raised his face to the sky as he heard someone shout his name.

"Harry!" a voice called. Harry looked around only to see Hermione, Ron, and Draco standing in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Harry rushed over to the three, wondering why they were here so early. "We just couldn't wait, Harry, we were all too excited!"

"Yea, mate, it's a brilliant idea!" Ron said cheerfully. Harry looked over at Draco and saw that he had his arms full of bags which looked like they were full of food.

"Thought we might get hungry . . ." Draco said proudly. They all laughed before Harry spoke again.

"This means we can leave, it takes about 3 hours to get there by train, so lets head to the train station. Harry ran back to The Leaky Cauldron to get his trunk and quickly returned to the others. They four left Diagon Alley and headed for the train station. They walked up to the Ticket Station to buy tickets to Southampton. From there they would take a cab to Sulpher Hills Cabins, located in New Forest. Harry paid the woman behind the counter and handed everyone their tickets. They walked over to engine seven and handed their luggage to the bag-handlers. They found a compartment to themselves and sat down to chatter about the upcoming week. What they would do, what they would see, they were bubbling over with excitement.

Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was close to 3:30. He was the only one awake, the others had fallen asleep ages ago. he lay his head against the window, the smooth sound of the locomotive stirring his senses. Just as he thought he was about to fall asleep, the train screeched to an abrupt stop at Southampton Station. Harry shook his friends awake and climbed off the train, collecting their baggage as they went. The group jogged over to the curb of the highway and flagged down a taxi cab. They climbed in as Draco threw the suitcases into the trunk. As he climbed in, the driver spoke, "Where to?"

"Sulphur Hills Cabins . . . in New Forest." Draco said in a deep tone. The driver nodded to show that he had understood and sped off toward their destination. Harry watched the meter as the price slowly increased with every mile they traveled. He looked at the others and smiled in delight that he had people who cared for him. They pulled up to a small rustic building with a sign on the front that read:

Sulpher

Hills

Cabins

"Your key to pure Relaxation!"

"That will be £72.63." said the driver. Harry counted out the amount from his satchel and handed it to the man. They scooted out of the back seat as Draco stepped out of the front seat. The cab drove away as the group entered the office to get their key and cabin number.

"Hi, what can I do for you?" The man behind the counter said.

"We're here for the two week stay for four people?" Harry said quietly.

"And what's the last name?" The man asked quietly.

"Potter."

"And that will be £1,350.87." Harry counted out £1,350.87 from his satchel and handed it to the man. In return he handed Harry a silver key. "Cabin 9, follow the trail with the blue flags, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you!" The four of them left the office and started down the trail with the blue flags. The trail seemed almost grown over with weeds and brush. Their hike came to an end at a clearing which housed a small cabin with a bronze number '9' emblazoned on the siding. Hermione lead the way up the steps and asked for the key. Harry threw it to her and she forced it into the lock. She turned the key and pushed on the door, and walked inside, the others close behind. They walked through the small house, searching for a room to call their own. The only rooms that they found were two rooms, two beds each. Ron and Draco bunked together, leaving the other room for Harry and Hermione. The two blushed as they placed heir luggage on their beds. The four of them met in the living room and sat on the couch to relax and conform to their new environment.

Harry got up from his seat on the couch beside Ron and Draco and began pilfering through the entertainment center. He reached back into the far corner when his hand touched a small plastic box. He pulled the box out of the dusty cabinet and discovered that it was a muggle videotape. "What's that?" Draco asked.

"It's a videotape," Hermione began, "muggles' use them to watch movies." Ron looked at it as if it were a small chunk of gold. Harry looked around the television and saw a small video-cassette recorder. He turned on the T.V., to Ron and Draco's amazement, and inserted the tape into the VCR. Harry hoped back on the couch, and Hermione squeezed in to get a better view. The televisions' picture began to get fuzzy before a large circular ring of light appeared on-screen. The group continued to watch on. Picture after picture of horrifying images flashed across the screen. Dead horses, maggots, and then a woman . . . staring at the four, seeing them, through the screen, then she was gone. It showed a woman plummeting from a cliff, then the ring once again. The four thought it was over when a clearing in the woods appeared on the T.V., and in the center of the clearing, stood a well. It seemed to remain still fo a moment, then a hand appeared over the side of the well . . . the picture went fuzzy then cut off, leaving the group to sit in darkness.

The silence was broken with the loud ringing of the telephone. The four teenagers jumped in horror at the loud disruption. They all exchanged looks of horror as Harry reached over to the table and hit the 'speakerphone' button, allowing everyone to hear the person on the line. At first, nothing, then, with a scratchy, deathly voice, the message flowed from the phone. "**Seven Days!**"


	2. Day One

(A/N): Sorry, I was supposed to put this on the first one but, oh well! I came up with this while multi-tasking . . . watching the ring and reading Harry Potter at the same time . .. LMAO! Anyways, hope you like it, and, please no flames!

Enjoy!

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** Seven Days, Zero Nights**

The four had cancelled their stay in the cabin and returned the key to the owner just over an hour after they had watched the cursed tape. They had called a cab to take them back to the train station where they returned to London to stay at the Leaky Cauldron until morning when they were to return to Hogwarts. When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, they were surprised to find Mrs. Weasley with _all _their books and supplies. "Well, you're back early!" Mrs. Weasley said shockingly.

"Um . . . the cabins looked horrible, very unsanitary!" Hermione lied.

"Oh . . . well, I got your books, Harry, Hermione and Draco got theirs early and Ron's are at home, I got the money out of your vault, dear."

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Harry said, taking the books and bags from her arms.

"Hermione, you're in a room with Ginny, and Harry, Ron and, oh, will you be staying Draco?"

"Yes, ma'am." Draco said politely.

"We'll you'll stay with Harry and Ron, then." Mrs. Weasley said, out of breath. "Off to bed dears, were up early in the morning!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco marched up the stairs to sit their bags in their rooms. Hermione walked into Ginny's room as Ron, Harry, and Draco entered their own room. They sat their bags on their beds and took a seat on the soft down mattresses. Harry laid his hands in his head, not knowing what to think about their situation. Would they all really die in seven days? A knock at the door caused all three of them to jump.

"It's Hermione.," their friend said in a shaky voice.

"Come in." Draco said softly. Hermione walked into the boys rooms and closed the door so that their conversation would not be overheard by passers-by. As soon as Hermione took a seat next to Harry, burst into tears and buried her head into Harry's chest.

"I'm so scared, I don't want to die! What are we going to do!" She screamed into the boys' chest, then finally looking up at everyone, waiting for an answer.

"We can't go back to Hogwarts to research the tape and reverse the curse, because electronics don't work at Hogwarts." Harry said in a disappointed tone.

"Then we'll stay at my place," Draco began, "and work on it there. Mother and Father are on vacation, and they still don't know I switched sides."

"We'll have to write a letter to Dumbledore and come up with a reason on why we can't return to school." Ron said keenly. The four nodded in agreement and looked at the clock on the wall: 12:19 p.m. Hermione stood and told the boys 'goodnight' before heading back to her and Ginny's room. The boys' climbed into their beds and turned out the light. Harry lay in silence and quietly ran the images of the tape through his mind. What suffering. Pain. Torture. Sleep.

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**Day One**

Harry awoke to find the others already gone. He quickly pulled on his muggle clothes and ran down the stairs to the bar, where everyone else where gathered. "There he is!" Hermione said loudly. "We sent a letter to Dumbledore this morning!" she said in a whisper. They soon after left for Kings Cross Station to fake their departure to Hogwarts. They arrived at ten 'till eleven and waited until the coast was clear so they could pass through the barrier.

As soon as they passed through the barrier, they waited until Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking and walked back through the barrier to catch a cab to Malfoy Manor.

They pulled into the driveway as their jaws dropped in astonishment at the scene in front of them. The house had three stories and a magnificent front garden. They paid the cabbie and took their trunks from the trunk. They walked up the flagstone path to the front door and waited for the blonde to unlock it. Draco shoved the key into the lock and pushed the door open, allowing the others to step into the mansion. The door closed behind them as Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared around the huge home. The walls were covered with pictures of Draco, stirring restlessly in their frames. "I'll show you to your rooms." Draco said softly. They followed Draco up the stairs to a long hall of doors. He gave each of them a room across from each other, close to his own room. The Gryffindors walked back down to the living room, waiting on Draco who remained upstairs, saying he needed to get something. He returned downstairs with a small television with a VCR attached to it. "I picked this up in London while you all were still asleep.

"That's great!" Harry said anxiously. Draco sat the television on the table in front of them and faced a dilemma that could affect their lives greatly. Malfoy Manor had no electricity, considering Lucius Malfoy's view on muggles. "How are we going to power the television?" Hermione asked. The four of them concentrated on what they could use to power the T.V.

"I got it!" Harry said quickly. "Wait here!" At that, Harry ran outside and climbed over the Malfoy's high fence and into the neighbor's yard, which lived about thirty feet away. He stepped inside the shed just outside the house, and found what he was looking for, an extension cord. He carried the extension cord out of the shed and plugged the output plug into the outlet on the side of the neighbor's house. He then unraveled the cord while walking on the way back to Draco's house, hiding the cord with clods of grass. He walked into the house and plugged the T.V. into the inlet plug. Hermione had hooked another VCR to the T.V. so they could make a copy just in case they needed it. Harry inserted the tape into the T.V. VCR then Draco pulled a blank tape from the bag at his side, and inserted it into the VCR and hit record as Harry hit play. The movie played while the silent tears flowed down Hermione's cheeks. The movie finished up with the lonely image of the well followed by loud static. Harry turned the VCR off and rewound the tape. He hit play again so the group studied every detail of the tape.

"I'm thirsty . . . you guys want something?" Harry asked the three others. They all nodded in agreement.

"Butterbeer is in the pantry." Draco said, pointing to the kitchen. Harry walked toward the kitchen, and took four butterbeers out for himself and his friends. He opened his early and took a drink from the bottle. The warm liquid slid down his throat, wetting his parched lips, refreshing his taste buds. But then, he didn't feel right, like there was a knot in his throat. He screamed for the others as he choked on the foreign intruder. The others crowded around him, trying everything they could think of to help their friend. Finally, something slid out of Harry's throat. He grasped it and began pulling it out of his throat. It seemed like the string was 20 feet long before a small, plastic suction cup fell out. The four examined it, not knowing what it was before discarding it in the trash. They returned to the living room, and drank their butterbeer, trying to theorize about the meaning of the tape. They sat forever before heading back to their rooms to prepare for bed.

After they were all changed into their pajamas, they climbed into their bed, as to get enough sleep to try to tackle the tape early tomorrow morning.

Harry waited until Ron and Draco were sound asleep before he got out of bed and tiptoed over to the door. He opened the door quietly and walked down to Hermione's room. He gently knocked on the door before being ushered inside by Hermione. The two of them sat on her as Hermione burst into tears. Harry held the girl in his arms, trying his best to comfort her. "It'll be alright, we can beat this!" Harry said reassuringly. Hermione looked into Harry's eyes, his beautiful emerald eyes and found comfort. The two of them stared into one anothers eyes as there faces drew closer. They kissed in a firey moment of passion. At that one moment, they knew no fear, and believed in no cursed tapes, just in themselves.

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(A/N): What did you think. Tell me in those reviews. Criticism accepted, just not flames . . . THANX!

SilverSilencer15-


	3. Day Two

Seven Days, Zero Nights, Take My Hand, We Die Tonite

**Day Two**

Harry and Hermione kept their relationship a secret from Ron and Draco. They weren't prepared to tell them yet. They had decided to seek help somewhere in London, a place that had a, what Hermione called, "audio-visual lab". They walked over three miles to Downtown London, where they entered into the "London Times" building to ask if they could use their audiovisual lab. They walked up to the front desk as the woman behind the counter flashed them a large, toothy grin. "Hi there, may I help you?" the woman asked sweetly.

"Yes," Harry began, "were doing a report for school and we were wondering if we could use your audio-visual lab?"

The woman gave the group another smile and nodded politely. "Follow me." she said and took off down the hall. They followed closely behind the woman before she halted in front of a wide oak door. "Through there." she said as she walked off, high heels clacking against the tile floors. Hermione prepared to push open the door before something caught her eye. Something familiar. A fly, sitting as still as their hearts, on the door. She thought back, the images of the tape flooding her mind. Her face lit up in recognition. She looked back at the others, who were looking at her suspiciously and wondering what she was waiting for. Hermione turned her face from their gazes and entered the room.

The room was filled with so many electronics you could hardly imagine. Draco and Ron stood in the doorway; they're mouths hanging akwardly out of place. Harry and Hermione motioned them inside and took a place at Tracking Machine. Harry inserted the tape into the machine and hit 'play'. "When we were watching the tape at Malfoy's house I noticed that the tracking in one of the scenes seemed to be warped, so this machine should help us stretch the picture, right Hermione?" Harry asked Hermione hopefully. She nodded her head in approval. Harry played the tape until he reached the scene of the dead animals on the beach. He then slowly turned the tracking knob until it was positioned on 'MAX'. The group looked at the picture the machine had produced.

It was a lighthouse, though one that neither of them recognized. "How the bloody hell are we supposed to find out where that lighthouse is!" Ron scowled. Harry ignored Ron's statement and quickly printed a picture of the lighthouse and removed the tape from the machine. The four walked from the building, thinking about what to do next.

"Maybe we should try the library?" Hermione suggested.

"A genuine suggestion from Hermione!" Draco said sarcastically. Hermione shot him a piercing glance before leading the other three to London Public Library. Hermione approached the man behind the desk before clearing her throat, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" the man asked politely.

"We were wondering if you had any books on Britain's and America's lighthouses," Hermione said quietly. The man smiled before removing his spectacles and gesturing them to one of the oak tables. The four sat down as the man disappeared behind a door in the back of the library. He returned moments later with a small stack of books in his hands. "This is it," he said before returning to his desk. The four friends stared openly into one of the books, looking for any lighthouses' that resembled the one from the tape.

"There!" Draco said quickly, his finger resting on a large picture of a lighthouse. Harry held up the picture he had printed in the audio-visual lab and nodded his head in accomplishment.

"Great, we found it!" Harry said happily. He looked around, making sure that no one was looking before ripping the page out of the tattered book. Harry's grin slowly faded as he realized the look of disappointment on Hermione's face. "What's wrong 'Mione?" Harry asked, a tinge of worry in his tone.

"It's just that, we're in London, and that lighthouse is in America, Oregon to be exact." Hermione said lightly.

"No problem!" Harry said before standing from the table and motioning everyone to follow him. He led the others out into an alley behind the library. "Hold my hand, 'Mione, and Draco, hold 'Mione's hand, Ron, hold Dray's."

"Dray?" Draco asked unsurely, but still doing what he was told. Harry concentrated on the location of the lighthouse. Suddenly, the group felt themselves being dragged forward, as if ropes were attached to their abdomens. In a rush of swirling wind and color, the four disappeared from the alley.

Their feet slammed into the soft, mossy ground of Moesko Island, Oregon. They all regained their composure for the trip had left them somewhat dazed. The group looked around at their surroundings, shadowing there eyes from the fading daylight. Harry removed the crumpled page from the library book from his pocket and read on for more details.

_Moesko Island, home of the famous lighthouse (pictured above),_

_Is a place of harmonous tranquility. Also, located on the Island, _

_Is the Morgan Horse Ranch, owned by Anna and Richard Morgan._

_The Morgans' kept the ranch alive for more than 9 years before_

_Tragedy struck. The horses contracted an unknown disease, _

_Causing them to lose control, each of them drowning, having_

_Galloped straight into the ocean in the year of 1977, the_

_Same year they adopted their child, Samara Morgan. Soon_

_After, Samara herself disappeared, finally being declared dead 9_

_Years later. Samara, oddly enough was found in the year_

_2001, at the bottom of a well, near one of the Shelter Mountain_

_Inn cabins . . ._

Harry returned his gaze to the group making sure that they comprehended. "Wait," Hermione began, "the well, at the end of the tape!" The three looked at Hermione and silently agreed.

"I guess we're visiting the Morgans'," Harry said slowly. The group slowly trudged out to the dirt road to flag someone down and maybe get a ride to the Morgan residence. They had waited for what seemed like an hour before a truck stopped in the foggy night. A man with a clean cut beard and an odor of cheap cologne spoke to them.

"Can I help you?" the man asked cheerily.

"Would you mind giving us a ride to the Morgan residence?" Hermione asked politely. As soon as the words had left Herimone's lips, the mans face darkened with terror. He looked suspiciously at the four teens before motioning them to get into the back of the pick-up. The four smiled in delight and climbed hastily into the back of the truck. Once sure the kids were safely in his truck, he quickly accelerated, continuing along the darkened road. The four sat in silence throughout the ride to the Morgans' house. The truck finally slowed down and the driver honked the horn to signal that they had arrived. The teens climbed out of the pickup and thanked the man for driving them to their destination. They walked up the drive to the large farmhouse, gaping at its eeriness in the light from the lighthouse. The group slowly walked up the steps to the house and stood before the weathered door. Hanging lopsidedly on the door was sign reading:

**Condemned at the**

**Request of the**

**State**

Harry looked back at his friends before pushing the door open and entering into the darkened depths of the abandoned house. They entered silently, the only sound being the creaking of the floorboards beneath them. They slowly advanced further into the house, looking for anything relevant to their situation. Hermione peered into the kitchen, staring at a lonely door at the other end. She removed her wand from her pocket and muttered: "Lumos!" The room was illuminated by a bright white light issuing from Hermione's wand. She reached her hand out and grasped the cold doorknob, turning it cautiously. She pushed the door open, revealing a flight of narrow steps descending into the bowels of the old house. "Guys, come here!" Hermione said loudly. Soon after, the three others were at her side, looking down the stairs that lead into the basement.

"I'll go first," Harry said quickly. "Hermione, stay in the middle of us." Harry lit his wand and began the journey into the basement of the old house. Harry's foot hit the bottom of the staircase. He slowly led the group through the basement, weaving their way around boxes full of photos, books, and papers. They finally reached a box with what seemed to be a family photo album sprawled open on top of it. Harry looked into the book and saw a picture of a woman, peculiarly resembling Virgin Mary, holding a baby with the label "Mother" written over the drawing. Harry quickly turned the page, glaring at the things placed upon that page. Newspaper clippings. Discussing the horses, but to them, that was already old news. Harry, along with the others, silently wondered what had happened to the Morgans'. Harry moved onto another box, which contained a variety of medical records. Harry looked at one of the files on the top most part of the box.

**Sessions Terminated**

**2/23/78**

**At fathers request**

**See Video Record**

**#SM0015**

"We'll definitely need this stuff!" Harry said, lifting the heavy box into his muscular arms. "And this!" he said, sliding the photo album into the box. He reached out his hand and grabbed Hermione's handed softly, Hermione doing the same with Draco and Ron. Once again, they felt the familiar tug at their bodies as they were lifted into the air in a rush of swirling color. They slammed unusually hard into the ground, the contents of the box spilling out into the alley. The four of them scattered to cram the contents back into the box. "Hey Harry," Draco began, "what's this?" Harry grabbed the paper from Draco's hands and studied it closely, Hermione looking at it over his shoulder.

"I thought Samara was adopted!" Hermione said worriedly.

Certificate of Live Birth

Morgan, Samara

They exchanged looks of confusion and horror as they finished piling the papers and documents into the box before hurrying down the alleyway. They were feet from the street as Harry unknowingly passed under a lone ladder. He stopped dead in his tracks, looking back at the other three, who were staring in horror. The images of the taped flashed through his head in a rush of static and stopped on a lone image . . . a ladder, leaning silently against a tall wall. The four ran at breakneck speed straight to Malfoy Manor, the memory of their discoveries at the Morgan house on Moesko Island to linger haphazardly in their minds.


	4. Day Three, Day Four

Seven Days, Zero Nights, Take My Hand, We Die Tonight

**Day Three**

The group burst loudly through the front door of Malfoy Manor; slamming it shut behind them. Harry set the box gently onto the table and moved to sit on the couch, his head in his hands. Hermione sat down beside him and wrapped her hands around his waist. Ron looked at his watch and announced to the group that it was 2 a.m. Day three. They remained silent for the next half-hour until Draco broke the silence. He was peering into the box, examining one of Samara's files.

"This is just all too weird!" Draco said quietly. Harry looked up and moved over to examine the files with Draco. Ron and Hermione soon followed suit, taking a place beside them. "Listen to this!" Draco pulled a newspaper clipping from the box and read aloud:

"_Mysterious Sickness Strike Morgan Ranch Horses!_

_The horses of the Morgan Horse Ranch have always_

_been labeled as superior creatures of their breed, before_

_the sickness struck. A sickness marked by insane behavior,_

_glazed eyes, and uncontrollable nature, it truly left the Morgans'_

_devastated, and with only a few live horses left. Who were nonetheless _

_affected with the dreaded disease. A short while afterwards, the Morgans'_

_daughter, Samara, disappeared without a trace. The disease continued_

_to plague the Island until the morning of august 16, 1980. Oddly enough, _

_the horses seemed to completely recover after the breeders suicide._

_Investigators conclude that she may have jumped from . . ."_

The page had been ripped off at that point, leaving them in an eerie silence "Jumped ," Hermione said in a whisper. They all shared glances as once again a foggy image crept into their minds. Anna leaping from the cliff, the image from the tape. It left them with cold shivers running along their spines. Harry shook the image out of his head and dived back into the box, craving more answers. It reminded him of something out of horror movies. The box was filled with papers and a tangled mess of brainwave electrodes.Harry's heart froze when his hand fell upon yet another videotape. He pulled it out, and heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him. He moved over to the television and popped the tape into the machine.

_There was a flash of static, then a moment of fumbling with the camera. A small girl was sitting in the middle of a white room, and in front of her was a doctor at a small desk._

_Doctor: "This is SM0015, Samara Morgan, hour 14. So what is it that's keeping you awake, you must sleep sometime? Do you dream about something? Samara? Let's talk about the pictures. How did you make them? Samara, how did you make these pictures?"_

_Samara: "I don't . . . make them . . . I see them . . . and then they just . . . are._

_Doctor: "Samara, I need you to start telling me the truth, okay?"_

_Samara: "Can I see my mommy?"_

_Doctor: "No, Samara, not until we understand what's wrong with you."_

_Samara: "I love my mommy."_

_Doctor: "Yes you do, but you don't want to hurt her anymore do you? You don't want to hurt anybody."_

_Samara: "But I do, and I'm sorry . . . it won't stop."_

_Doctor: "Well that's why you're here, so we can help make it stop."_

_Samara: "He's going to leave me here."_

_Doctor: "Who?"_

_Samara: "Daddy."_

_Doctor: "They just want to help you."_

_Samara: "Not daddy."_

_Doctor: "Your daddy loves you."_

_Samara: "Daddy loves the horses. He wants me to go away."_

_Doctor: "No, he doesn't."_

_Samara: "But he doesn't know . . ."_

_Doctor: "He doesn't know what? . . . . Samara?"_

_Static._

The group sat in silence after the static had died away and the tape began to rewind itself. They didn't know how to explain the video they had just seen. The images flashed through Harry's mind like that of the twisted macabre of a massacre. He held his hands in his lap, trying to hide his nervous shaking. How were they to beat this? He looked to the right out the window where the setting sun set the misty landscape ablaze. He looked at the others; Draco had his brow furrowed with a look of intense concentration on his face, Ron, was displaying the ugliest face-Harry had ever seen, and Hermione looked as if she were about to vomit.

Harry cleared his throat to get the others attention. They all looked dismally at the Boy-Who-Lived, a look of exhaustion firmly planted on each of their faces. "We seriously need to figure this all out! Before . . . before we run out of time. Harry turned away from his friends and dove back into the box. He pulled out a pile of newspapers and began reading off bits and pieces of articles. "Quarantined……..Thoroughbreds found on Beach...Called to Dispel Ranch……..Investigators search for answers after second horse drowning………Equine Madness Continues…….Horses Recovering-……oh, guys listen to this, Horses Recovering After Breeders Suicide! And it says here that Anna Morgan suffered from hallucinations and she regularly visited a small clinic located on the Island."

Hermione reached across Harry's shoulder to take the article from Harry's hands. She looked over the article, her eyes whizzing across at breakneck speed. "Ahh haa, I found it! We need to go back to Moesko Island. The clinic that Anna went to on the Island isn't far from the Morgan's house." Everyone stood up from their places around the television and held hands one again. Harry lunged his right foot forward, concentrating on his destination. He then spun on the spot and allowed the sensation to grasp a hold on their bodies. They were suddenly unable to breathe as they were pulled through the invisible pipe that was 10 sizes too small. They didn't know how much longer they could last when they pounded into the damp, cold ground of Moesko Island.

They stood up and brushed the wet leaves and blades of grass from their Muggle clothes and looked around the Island through a heavy mist, trying to regain their bearings. They were surprised to learn that they had landed at the Morgan house, right beside an old tire swing. They walked over the bridge that led to the road to try and once again flag a car down that would take them to the small clinic. They waited, and waited, and waited for a any sign of a car and decided to start walking. They had no idea whether they were going in the right direction or not but they couldn't just sit around in the cold mist and wait for someone that may never come.

They continued their trek, stopping occasionally to see which direction they were going with the "Point Me" spell. They were heading North, Northeast to be exact and hoped and prayed that someone would come along soon. They were about to give up and apparate back to Malfoy Manor but had no need to for the answer to the whole mystery could be right in front of their noses.

They hurriedly climbed the slippery hill that lead to the small clinic and sprinted the rest of the way to the small, dingy porch, for a heavy rain had began to fall from the dark clouds above. They walked inside and were expecting to see a white room with televisions and old magazines and an elderly woman at the reception desk. But none, it like a small cottage and had no televisions and no elderly woman at the reception desk. A few magazines were sprawled on the far end table and a boy, maybe a little younger than they, was at a small baby's toy, silently moving the wooden pieces along the spiraling tracks. "Hello, I'm Doctor Grasnick, how may I help you?" The voice had startled the four of them and they quickly looked up to find the voices owner. It was a woman's, probably in her late 50's or early 60's. She was in overalls and had a concerned look on her face.

"Yes," Hermione spoke, "we do need your help."

"Well, I'll be happy to be of service. You must be from the UK, traveled far did ya'?" The woman said. She motioned for them to sit down at the small chairs lining the waiting room.

"Yes . . . do you know anything about the Morgans'?" Harry asked. His heart dropped into his stomach when the woman's face fell into a frown. "We're sorry if it troubles you, Ma'am, but we really need your help."

"What's this about?" the woman asked shortly.

Draco spoke this time. "We don't know why but . . . we're seeing things, in our head. And we don't know why but it definitely had something to do with their daughter . . . Samara."

"It's been along time since I've heard something like this."

-.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.-

They followed the Doctor outside, out into the misting rain. "They wanted a child more than anything, poor Anna. They tried for years but sometimes, it's just not meant to be. Then one winter they went away, when they came back it was with Samara. Adopted they said, didn't ever say from where though, said that the mother had died from complications. But they had their baby, they had their horses, everything was fine, that is until Anna started coming to see me. Said she was suffering from visions . . . seeing things, horrible things, as if they had been burned inside her . . . and it only happened around Samara . . . that she had put them there.

"Was you Samara's Doctor as well?" Ron asked.

"Yes, I was." The Doctor said quietly.

"Was there anything, you know, wrong with her?" Harry asked sullenly.

"You mean medically?" the Doctor questioned.

"We mean whatever you mean." Hermione stated.

"Some people have limits. When my son's boy, Darby, was born not to long ago, we knew something wasn't right with him. But, we loved him anyway. It's hard, ya' know?"

"What happened to her?" Draco asked.

"I referred them to Eola County Psychiatric on the mainland, I assume she still there."

"You mean you don't know?" Ron asked in a shaky voice.

"I don't, but ever since that girl has been gone, things have been a lot better around here."

-.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.--.:.-

They walked slowly away from the clinic, just out of earshot so that no one would overhear their conversation. "So Anna saw things too, because of Samara?" Hermione asked in a frightened tone. The others nodded, unsure of what to do next. Harry looked down the long winding road that cut through the murky valleys of the Island. They were at another dead end, unsure of where to go next. "Let's go back to the house, maybe there's something we missed in that box.

They sat in the living room of Malfoy Manor just over an hour after leaving Moesko Island for the second time. Harry was sitting on the floor, his back against Hermione's legs. He was flipping through the tattered photo album, stopping once in a while to stare at one of the morbid collages on the stiff paper. All of them were equally horrifying but one in particular caught his attention, the drawing of a mother and child with the label, "MOTHER." He cringed inwardly and closed the book, not wanting to depress himself further. Harry pulled the box next to him in hopes of gaining further insight on what to do or where to go next. They were running out of time. He wondered what all was happening at Hogwarts, and if people were wondering where they were. But he was sure that Dumbledore had explained everything to everyone.

"What say we get some sleep?" Draco suggested. They all nodded in agreement and stood, they're bodies aching from exhaustion. They walked heavily up the spiral staircase that leads to the long hall of bedrooms. They were about to walk into their bedrooms and say their goodnights when Harry pulled Hermione into his arms. Their lips brushed, and then deepened into a full blown kiss. All Ron and Draco could do was watch with their jaws hanging loosely open. They pulled apart and walked into their rooms, leaving Ron and Draco to stare at their friends' rooms in awe. They finally came back to reality and walked into their own rooms, saying goodnight as they went.

Heavy breathing. Gasp. Burn. Pain. Fear. Screams. Black. Water. Mother. Presence. Symbols. Static.

Harry woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat, his breathing quick and shallow. He just had a dream . . . Samara. His arm stung. his right arm. He looked down, pulling the sleeve of his pajamas up to his elbow. He almost screamed, but instead let in a sharp breath. A burn, in the shape of a hand, upon his right forearm. It was Samara's hand, he knew it. The dream was about her, she burned her mark upon him, and he didn't like it. He put his glasses on and walked out into the hallway. He was about to knock on Hermione's door when he heard a sound, coming from downstairs. He slowly walked down the steps, not wanting to find out who, or what, was making the noise. He was relieved to discover that it was only his friends, talking.

"There's the other lovebird!" Draco said with a smirk. Harry returned the smirk and sat down between Draco and Hermione.

"Did you guys," Harry began, "by any chance, have a dream?" The others shared quick glances before pulling up the right sleeve of their pajamas. On each of their arms, in the same place as Harry's, was a burn, in the shape of a hand . . . Samara's hand. Samara. They lowered there sleeves back to a normal position and sat in solemn silence. They had to find Samara's real mother, she holds the key. But where were they to find her? He looked to the box, and pulled it into his lap. His eyes fought aggressively to close. They had-oh man-slept the day away, for it was now 6 p.m.

**Day Four**

He pulled out the adoption papers and looked for the name of the orphanage and the address. He literally jumped in the air when he found it, startling the others. "Guys get dressed; we're going to America . . . again."

They ran upstairs to put their Muggle clothes on and held hands once again. They were pulled through the small pipe and were soon outside the orphanage building. They quickly walked inside, out of the rain, and jogged to the reception area. The woman at the desk looked up at the soaked teens. "Hi, welcome to our Orphanage, how can I be of assistance to you?"

"Ummmm," Hermione began, "do you recall a Samara Morgan?"

"Why yes I do?" The woman stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Can you tell us who her mother was?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure I can . . .," she began, looking at their horror struck faces, "but for you kids, I will. She resides at a local Sanatorium" She scribbled on a small piece of paper. "This is the address, I hope I was helpful."

"Thank you so much!" Hermione squealed. The woman nodded and they ran out the door to head to the Sanatorium. They walked for blocks, their legs turning to jelly from the excessive walking. They reached their destination and hurried out of the rain, inside the murky building. They walked up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. "How may I help you four?" she asked politely.

"May we see patient number (she looked at the paper) #1454?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Right this way." The woman stood and motioned them through the wrought-iron door, buzzing it open. They followed her down a white hallway, screams echoing in the distance. "Okay, no sharp instruments, nothing that can be used to injure the patient." They each passed through a metal detector, the alarm sounding as Hermione walked through. She removed her hair clips and continued on. They reached a large white, metal door. Inside was a woman at a desk, clipping newspaper articles. All around the room were newspapers, stacked as high as Harry's waist.

"Ma'am," Draco said, "are you, Samara's mother?" The woman turned around and looked at them, seeing them, through them.

"She- she's evil." The woman whispered. "She drove me crazy, I couldn't stand to look at her let alone hold her. So, I took done to the fountain (she pointed out of the window) and tried to drown the little one, but they caught me . . . through me in solitary confinement and rushed the baby to intensive care."

"But, she was your daughter." Harry said, confused.

"You watched the tape . . . all of you." She said softly. She reached for Harry's right arm and pulled up the sleeve. "You see, she's marked you. All of you. And she won't stop . . . she never sleeps . . ."

"But it's not fair, what did we do wrong?" Hermione asked. She walked over to Hermione and placed her hands upon her shoulders. Her breathing quickened her heart in her throat.

"You let the dead get in . . ." she said eerily. Their eyes widened, their bodies shaking. "You must go . . . you're no longer welcome here."

"But-."

"Go . . ." They backed to the door and fell into the hallway. They walked don the eerie white hallway, trying to block out the screaming heard in the background. They walked out the front doors into the rain. Hermione sat down on the stone steps that lead to the Sanatorium and the others followed suit. Damn you, Samara. Damn you.


End file.
